The Nightmare At Freddy's
by The Chuckinator
Summary: When Shadic's father gets a job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, strange things began happening there. On the day of Shadic's birthday, Sonic takes him to Twinkle Park with some friends, but a demon forces his friends to stay and changes the park into a horror filled land. With only twenty hours to escape, will they make it?
1. Getting The Job

The Nightmare At Freddy's  


By Fangs Of Lightning And The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: Getting The Job

Sonic was bored. He was surfing the Internet, looking for a job. His son walked in and smiled.

"What are you doing, dad?" Shadic asked.

"Looking for a job. With Eggman finally in jail, I decided I should find one. Shadow shouldn't be the only one with a job."

"How about this?" Shadic asked, pointing to an ad about a pizza restaurant.

"I don't know... Sitting around isn't really my thing."

Shadic looked at the ad. "It wants night guards, and pays 120 dollars a week."

"Doesn't make me want to sit around there."

"Hmm...all right."

Sonic sighed and leaned back. "Maybe I'll try for it anyway. Nothing else is really looking interesting either." Shadic smiled and went into the kitchen to get something to eat. A few minutes later, Sonic walked in. "I applied for the job."

"That's good," Shadic said. "When do you go in?"

"Tomorrow."

Shadic smiled and sat down on the couch. "When does dad get home?"

"Sometime this evening, so long as Rouge doesn't hold him up again."

"Okay."

"I hope this goes well."

"Same here," Shadic said. "Hey, what are we going to do for my birthday? It's in a few days."

"Why would I tell you that?" Sonic grinned over at him.

His son chuckled. "So you're going to keep it a secret, then?"

"Of course."

Shadic smiled and sat down at the table. Sonic sat across from him. Shadic smiled and sat down at the table. Sonic sat across from him.

"You doing anything today?" He asked.

"I haven't decided yet. Might go do something with Amy."

Sonic smirked. "Going on a date?"

"You know I don't think of her that way." Shadic frowned.

"I was just kidding, son. I know you don't."

"Did you want me to get a girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Sonic said. "You're old enough."

"I'm not sure I want a girlfriend though."

"How come?"

"I'm just not interested."

Sonic smiled. "Fair enough."

Shadic hesitated. "You don't understand...I'm not interested in girls. I...I don't swing that way."

"You don't?"

 _'I may as well tell him,'_ Shadic thought, and took a deep breath. "I'm gay."

"How dare you? I didn't raise you to be gay." Sonic mockingly said. "Is that what you're expecting to hear? I'm gay, Shadic. Shadow's gay... I don't know why you're so nervous about telling me."

"I guess I thought that you'd react how some people do...if you know what I mean." he shook his head. "Some people at school have bullied me because of it."

"Why would you think that? I'd have to be a hypocrite to get angry at you for this." Sonic frowned. "Who's been bullying you? Did you do something about it?"

"Just some asshole named Scourge...it doesn't matter."

"Scourge... I know that name." Sonic shrugged. "What did you do about it?"

"Nothing," Shadic said. He looked at his father. "What do you think I should do?"

"Stand up for yourself."

"I guess."

"No 'I guess' about it."

Shadic sighed. "Yes, dad."

Sonic chuckled. He stood up and yawned. "Well, I think I'm going to take a nap. You have fun."

The blue hedgehog walked up to his room and closed the door. Shadic smiled and turned on the TV, turning the volume down so not to wake his father. A few hours later, Shadow came home from work.

"Anything happen today?" Shadow asked.

"Dad applied for a job at a pizza place," Shadic said. "And...I told him that I'm gay."

"You're gay?" Shadow raised a brow. "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shadow crossed his arms. "How much thought have you given to this?"

Shadic looked down and sighed. "I...I have a crush on a boy at school, all right? His name's Silver."

Shadow smiled and ruffled the hair between Shadic's ears. "As long as you don't get hurt. You said something about Sonic applying for a job?"

"Yeah. He's applied for a job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza."

"I heard they've been looking for someone for a while... The night shift security guard, right?"

Shadic nodded.

"I'll have to wish Sonic luck."

"He's sleeping right now," Shadic said.

"I'll do it later then."

Shadow smiled and ruffled the hair on Shadic's head again, then went and sat down on the couch to watch TV. before long, he was asleep on it with the TV still on. Shadic sighed and turned it off before going to bed. The next day, he woke up late and went downstairs. There was a note of the kitchen table saying that Shadow had gone to work, and Sonic was at his job interview.

"Might as well find something to do while I wait."

Shadic sighed and had breakfast, then went into the living room and turned on his Sega Dreamcast. Starting up his most recent game, Shadic leaned back and started playing.

It was a few hours later when Sonic came home. He saw Shadic and smiled. "Playing a game?"

"Yeah. I've got nothing better to do today." Shadic looked at Sonic. "Did you get the job?"

"I did. I start midnight tonight and get off at 6 AM."

"Then I guess you probably want to get some sleep."

Sonic nodded. "Later though. It's not that late, and I should get something to eat."

He walked into the kitchen and made himself a chili dog.

"Can I have one?" Shadic asked.

"Sure." Sonic threw some more hot dogs in the water and waited. When they were finished, he brought the chili dogs out. "Here's one for you," Sonic said. "And the rest for me."

"Thanks," Shadic said, taking the chili dog. Sonic sat down and got comfortable. "So, what do you have to do for the job?" Shadic asked.

"Just sit and make sure nothing happens during the hours I'm there."

"Sounds easy enough."

"It does sound easy. Boring, too."

"Yeah...well, try to have fun," Shadic said.

"I will." Sonic smiled.

He finished his chili dog and went upstairs. Shadic sighed and leaned back against the couch.


	2. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza

Chapter 2: Freddy's Fazbear's Pizza

That night, Sonic went to the pizza place. There wasn't anyone there when he arrived at his post, just some notes on the desk. He looked at them. The top one was greeting him, and giving an explanation of how everything worked with a note at the bottom that a message had been left on the phone. Sonic hit the voice mail, and it began to play.

Sonic listened as the voice went over the controls and what to look out for, pausing a little at the end before the message shut off. It had sounded like there was more to be said, and Sonic shrugged. He'd figure it out later. He sighed and began to look at the cameras. There wasn't much of interest, aside from actually seeing the place. A few minutes later he noticed the animatronics. Starting to frown, Sonic leaned closer to the screen. That rabbit hadn't been there last he looked.

"What the.." Switching screens, Sonic didn't see anything else out of the ordinary until seeing the rabbit in a different camera. "What? How'd it..."

Glancing around the room, Sonic sighed before looking back at the screens. The robots were no longer in the back room. Frowning at the screen and listening for anything outside the room, Sonic ran through the cameras again in confusion. Something was obviously going on here. He saw that the robots were in other rooms.

"What's going on?" Sonic muttered. Checking the time, he saw that only an hour had passed so far.

A screech from the door made him look. Sonic gasped as a robot stood there. He screamed and shut the door in its face Looking at the other door, Sonic ignored the noises he heard from behind him.

"What's up with this place," he said to himself.

Glancing at the phone, Sonic quickly decided it might not be a good idea to call anyone else in. If it came down to it, he was more than capable of protecting himself against some animatronics. He sighed and continued to work. Nothing much happened for a while as he sat and watched. When it reached 6 AM, he stood up and left. Stifling a yawn, Sonic stretched once the building was locked up and ran back home. It had been an interesting night, that was for sure.

Once he got home, Sonic went to his room to get some sleep before continuing the day. He was going to have to change his sleep schedule for this. Shadic walked in and saw him sleeping. He gulped and closed the door before going downstairs. Waiting for his dad to wake up before he left wasn't an option, so he made himself a breakfast and got ready for school. He left a note for his father and left.

That night when Sonic got to work, it was the same as the night before. He quickly got bored, but things got interesting and spooky when the animatronics tried to get in the room Sonic was in.

"What is wrong with these things?" Sonic muttered.

Keeping the doors closed might not've been the best idea he'd had, but it was better than letting them in. Gave him time to think too, despite all the noise the animatronics were making. He failed to notice the power draining. It was almost out. Sonic got up and looked at the screens again, flipping through to find the animatronics really had all gathered around his room. Sighing and sitting back in the seat, Sonic looked at the two doors. Destroying the animatronics would work... but it was also something he probably shouldn't do.

"What are they doing?" He asked himself.

Putting his face in his hands, Sonic tried to focus. Tails was usually the one coming up with plans, but he wasn't here right now. Sonic had never been good at them, following the first thing that- The power went out and Sonic looked up, ears standing straight. Thumping sounds could be heard as Sonic looked around in fear. Soon, the doors broke. Ears laying flat against his head, Sonic hopped off the chair. Destroying them wasn't an option, so he did the next best thing. Once he was sure they weren't in the way, he ran by them and into the hall. They followed but didn't catch up. Sonic stopped and sighed, but tensed when he heard a screech in front of him.

Looking up, he saw one of those animatronics in front of him and moved, knocking it over before running again. There really wasn't enough space in this building. Sonic's eyes widened as he saw something form in front of him. It was huge, taking up most of the hallway as whatever it was twisted and took shape. Two red eyes looked at him and the unnatural shine on pointed teeth making up a sinister smile broke the darkness.

"What the hell?"

Sonic took a step back, yelling in surprise when the creature lurched forward and grabbed him. It growled, marking Sonic with a pentagram. Sonic's eyes drew blank, and it spoke. "With this, your soul belongs to me. You will serve me from henceforth and follow my every command."

Sonic's eyes turned red, and he bowed. "Of course, Master. What is your command?"

"Go about your daily life for now. I'll have something for you to do later."

The demon pressed his hand against Sonic's forehead, a glow lighting the area as his eyes reverted back to green. Dizziness overcame him the moment the demon released him and when he had steadied himself, it wasn't there anymore. Sonic blinked in confusion, and went back to his post. The doors were still broken in, but Sonic didn't see any signs of the animatronics. The hedgehog sighed in relief and looked at the clock. It was almost 6 AM.

"Can't wait to get home," Sonic said with a stretch.

When it turned 6 AM, he ran home and went upstairs to his room. Sonic opened his bedroom door and fell asleep on the bed.


	3. Twinkle Park

Chapter 3: Twinkle Park

When Sonic woke up later that day, he stretched and got out of bed. He had a dream about some sort of demon, and shuddered

"Those animatronics are having more of an effect on me than I thought," Sonic muttered.

He yawned and went downstairs. Shadic saw him and smiled. "Hey, dad. How was work?"

"Creepy."

"How so?"

"Have you seen the animatronics in there?" Shadic nodded after a few moments and he continued. "They were moving on their own- don't give me that look. You know I'm not tired when I go there. Anyway, they were outside the room, and the power went out. I remember leaving the room, and... something. I can't remember clearly after that. Too freaked out, I guess."

"Sounds like the place is haunted," Shadic said. "Are you sure you want to work there?"

"I can't just quit. For one thing, Shadow would be disappointed in me. And I've only been there two nights."

"All right. Well, good luck."

Sonic smiled. "I'll be fine."

Shadic smiled and sat next to his father. "Can we go there for my birthday tomorrow?"

"Why would you want to go there?"

"I've heard it's a nice place during the day. Never mind; it was a stupid idea."

"It wasn't a stupid idea. Why would you think it was?"

Shadic shrugged. "I just thought that we could go somewhere for my birthday. I'll be 18 tomorrow, anyway."

"I know how old you're going to be. I have something I wanted to do tomorrow."

"Okay."

Sonic smiled at Shadic.

"Don't worry. We didn't forget your birthday." He ruffled the hair on Shadic's head and smiled, then walked into the kitchen. "What do you want, anyway? Cake? Something else?"

"Cake is fine," Shadic said.

"Anything in particular or should it be a surprise?" Sonic opened the freezer and pulled out a pizza.

"A surprise."

Sonic smiled. "I'll let Shadow know."

He walked out of the room and got his cell phone, then started texting Shadow. After he sent the text, he put it back and turned to Shadic.

"He'll be home tonight," he said.

"Tonight?"

"He's busy with work and won't get off until late tonight. That's what he texted me anyway."

"So I guess I won't be able to see him then."

Sonic nodded. "I'll be at work too."

"Are you going to be able to get enough sleep tomorrow morning?"

"Probably."

Shadic smiled and nodded. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

His father smiled back. "So am I," he said.

The next morning, the three were in the kitchen.

"What are we doing today?" Shadic asked.

"Going somewhere as soon as we have part of the cake Shadow made. Unless you want to save it for later."

"We can have it now."

Sonic smiled and lit the candles, turning to Shadic once he was done. "Make your wish so we can start cutting it."

Shadic closed his eyes and blew out the candles. Sonic clapped and pat him on the back, grabbing the knife and cutting a piece out before handing it to Shadic. Shadic smiled and took it.

"Shadow, how much do you want?"

Shadow looked over at Sonic. "Same as Shadic."

"Okay then." Sonic cut off the piece and ran over, handing it Shadow rather than putting it in his face like he was thinking of doing.

Shadow smirked. He looked at the cake, and then at Sonic. Suddenly, he threw it in Sonic's face. "That's payback for what you were thinking of doing," Shadow said with a smirk.

"And how would you know what I was thinking?" Sonic wiped some of the cake from his face, smearing it on Shadow's.

"You're not that hard to read. besides, you've done that before."

Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, I have." Sonic looked over at Shadic. "Once you're done, we need to get ready to go out."

Shadic smiled and ate his slice of cake. When he was done, Sonic put the cake in the fridge, and they left the house. Shadow grabbed their hands and pulled the both of them closer to him.

"Let's shorten the trip." Closing his eyes and concentrating, he soon teleported the three of them to the location.

When they got there, they saw Tails, Silver, and Knuckles waiting for them.

"You guys ready?" Silver asked.

"Yeah," Sonic said.

Shadic smiled when he saw Silver, and blushed. They walked into the park, and Shadic looked at his parents.

"Silver's the boy I have a crush on," he told them.

"We know."

Shadic smiled and ran up beside Silver. "Hi," he said.

"Hey," Silver said. "Happy 18th birthday."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. So...what do you wanna do while we're here?"

Shadic looked around, then saw the Tunnel Of Love. He blushed. "What you do at a park like this, I guess."

Silver smiled and looked at Shadic. "Why are you blushing?"

"No reason."

The white hedgehog looked away; he had a good idea why. It had been obvious the last few weeks. Shadic hadn't exactly been good at hiding his crush. Silver smiled; he had a crush on Shadic as well. He just wasn't sure when to confess. His birthday might be a good opportunity. But with everyone else aroundd as well, it would be difficult to find the right moment. Silver felt his smile fade into a determined frown.

"What's wrong, Silv?" Shadic asked.

"Just thinking about something."

Shadic nodded. "Hey...can we go somewhere private?"

"I guess so. Not too long, okay?" Silver smiled. "We're here to celebrate your birthday, after all."

Shadic smiled and led Silver to an isolated area. "Silver, I...I have a crush on you."

Silver smiled and took his hands, leaning in to give him a quick kiss. The other hedgehog was happy, glad that Silver was returning his love. He smiled and kissed Silver back. In his mind, he thought that this was the best birthday present ever.

"Let's get back to everyone else," Shadic said.

Silver kissed his cheek and held his hand as the two new lovers walked back to his parents and friends.

"You're back now?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah," Shadic said. "We...confessed our feelings for each other."

"Good."

Shadow smiled, as did Sonic.

"You all go do your own thing," Sonic said. "Shadow and I are going to get something to eat. We'll meet up with you later."

"What should we do?" Shadic looked around at everyone else.

"How about we go on that roller coaster that just opened?" Tails asked.

"One just opened?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear? It's a new inverted coaster that's called The Bullet. I've heard it's pretty fun."

"Oh. Well, let's go check it out then."

Tails smiled and walked off as Shadic and Silver followed him.

"I'm not going on that thing with you," Knuckles said.

"Why not?" Shadic asked him.

"I don't like them."

"All right."

Knuckles crossed his arms and stood nearby to watch them once they arrived at the ride. "I'll be watching as you ride," he told them.

"Okay, we'll be back soon."

They entered the ride as Knuckles watched them leave. Shadic found himself between Tails and Silver as they waited for the ride to start up, gripping the handle in anticipation. The ride started, and Shadic felt himself getting nervous. He had never been on a roller coaster before. Silver looked at him.

"You okay, Shadic?"

"I've never been on one of these before." Shadic smiled. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

Silver smiled and kissed him on the cheek. A few minutes later, the roller coaster went out of the station and up the lift hill. Shadic looked around as the ride started moving, picking up speed when it went over the hill. A smile broke out across his face. He yelled in excitement as the coaster sped across the track. This was awesome. Silver laughed beside him as Tails sighed.

"Just like Sonic," Tails said.

"What do you mean?" Shadic asked him.

"Sonic does that every time we go on a roller coaster."

Shadic chuckled. Before long, the ride was over and they got out.

"That was awesome," Shadic exclaimed.

"It was," Tails agreed. "I need to get Sonic over here later."

As if on cue, Sonic walked over. "Went on the new Coaster?" Sonic asked. "How was it?"

"Awesome," Shadic said.

"Great. Come on Tails, ride it with me." Sonic took the fox's hand and led him back to the line for the ride.

The fox smiled. "You really love roller coasters, don't you?"

"Yes I do. And Shadow never goes with me." Sonic pouted over at Shadow, getting a handwave in response. "At least you don't get sick on them."

"Does Shadow?"

"No. He just doesn't like them. He doesn't like most of the rides."

"How come?" Tails asked, walking up as the line moved.

Sonic shrugged. "He was pretty blunt about it the first time we went to an amusement park."

Tails nodded. When they got on the ride, he smiled over at Sonic. "This one's fun, promise."

"I can't wait."

The fox smiled as the ride began. Throughout it, Sonic yelled and laughed. When they got off, Tails was laughing too.

"Shadic and Silver went to get something to eat," Shadow said. "Want to go see if we can find any of your chili dogs?"

"Sure," Sonic said.

He followed his partner as Tails walked behind them.

"Does anyone know where Knuckles went?" Tails asked.

"He's just wandering around," Sonic said.

"Typical Knuckles." Tails shook his head with a smile. "I'm sure he'll find us later."

"Yeah."

The three found a place to get something to eat a few minutes later and quickly decided what they wanted.

"Should we get something special for the birthday boy?" Sonic asked his partner.

"We already got him stuff, Sonic. No need to spoil him."

Sonic smiled as well, frowning a few moments later and steadying himself with Shadow's arm.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Shadow asked.

"I'm not sure... I just got dizzy for a moment there." Sonic smiled at Shadow. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I just need to sit down for a minute. Probably just hungry, or hot...".

The blue hedgehog sat down, and Shadow felt his forehead. Sonic did feel hot. "You might be coming down with something," he said.

"Great. Getting sick on my son's birthday..."

Sonic gripped the table as his vision swam. His legs buckled and he fell to the ground. Fortunately, Shadow caught him.

"Sonic?" Shadow shook him, looking at his face in alarm. "Sonic? What-" The blue hedgehog was unconscious. Shadow looked around for help. "Can someone help me? He's fallen unconscious!"

Shadic saw him and ran over. "What happened?"

"I've no idea. He was dizzy, and just... collapsed..."

Shadow leaned forward over Sonic tracing a light marking on his chest. It looked like a scar, but it definitely hadn't been there earlier.

"What the hell is that?" Shadic asked.

Silver walked up and examined it. His eyes widened. "It's an inverted pentacle."

"What the hell does that mean?" Shadow asked.

"An inverted pentacle with a goat's head means it's Satanic."

"So...something demonic is going on with Sonic? That's what caused him to collapse?"

Silver nodded. Suddenly, Sonic began to scream and change. Everyone watched as he transformed into a large demon.

"What the hell..." Shadow stared up at the demon, moving back a step. It looked at him before grinning and teleporting away.


	4. The Twisted Park

Chapter 4: The Twisted Park

"What the hell was that?" Knuckles asked Shadow.

Shadow frowned and shrugged. "I have about as much a clue as you do."

"It was a demon," Silver said.

"That much was obvious."

"It's not every day that you see dad transform into a demon," Shadic said. "What could have happened?"

"Has anything weird happened to him?" Knuckles asked. "With his Chaos Energy or anything?"

Shadic shook his head. "I don't think so. Although he did get a job recently at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza a few days ago. He told me that it was haunted."

"A haunted pizzeria? Not sure how that would have anything to do with demons."

"I'm not sure how he got turned into a demon, then. What should we do?"

Before Knuckles could answer, Silver spoke up. "Uh, guys? Have you noticed that the park is looking strange?"

The others looked around at the park, staring in surprise.

"What happened?" Shadow asked.

"Sonic probably had something to do with this," Silver said.

The amusement park was now a barren wasteland, covered in fire.

"It looks like Hell," Shadow said.

"Maybe it is, in a sense."

"What should we do?"

A laugh sounded as the demon appeared. "Welcome," he said.

"What is this place?" Silver asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sonic. Did you forget already?"

"But...how? You're a demon."

The demon crossed his legs and floated in the air, amusement on his features. "We're one and the same, now."

"What are you talking about? You've always been a demon?" Shadic asked, a little frightened to learn that.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head. This is as new for me as it is for you."

"I see...so...what are you going to do to us?"

Sonic grinned wickedly and floated towards them. "I'm just an observer." The demon motioned around. Have some fun at the park. It is your birthday, after all."

The demon vanished again, his laughter lingering in the air. Everyone shuddered and looked around. The park had changed. Most of the colors were dull, cracks decorating the pavement everywhere they looked. It was also empty as if no one had been there in ages.

"I don't like this," Shadic said.

"Neither do I," Silver said.

"What should we do?"

"I don't think we have much choice here," Shadow said. "We go along with this and try to come up with a plan."

"I want to go home," Shadic told him. "Can we leave?"

"I doubt that."

Shadic sighed. "How come?"

"Think about it. A demon just possessed Sonic's body, altered the park into some kind of hellish park, and told us to have fun here. It's highly unlikely he's going to just let us leave." Shadow crossed his arms. "Besides that, we can't just leave Sonic like this."

"Damn it."

"So... what should we do first? Get a feel for the area?" Silver was looking around as he asked.

Shadic shrugged. "I suppose."

"It's better than standing around here," Shadow said. He walked off as the others followed. "Do you think he could have summoned any monsters here?"

"It's possible," Silver said.

"Let's go take a look."

Shadic was hesitant, but he nodded. "All right."

"What's wrong?" Silver asked.

"I...I get scared easily."

"With Shadow as your father?" Shadic nodded. "You'd think he would give you reason not to be afraid of things. I mean, he's more than capable of protecting you."

Shadic smiled. "Yeah, he is. So is Sonic."

"So what are you so afraid of?"

Shadic thought about it and told Silver. "I... Not knowing what's coming, I guess."

"Anything else?" Silver asked.

"I don't even know what's scaring me here. I just am."

"Are you scared that Sonic became a demon?"

Shadic nodded. "I think so."

"That's probably why you're scared, then," Silver said.

"You're probably right."

Silver smiled and kissed him. Shadic returned the kiss and smiled at Silver.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Silver said.

"Thanks."

He kissed Silver again.

"Come on you two," Shadow said.

Shadic smiled and hurried ahead after Silver. They walked through the area for a while, looking around at the way the demon had twisted the park. Monsters were roaming the area too.

Shadow regarded the creatures with a frown of disgust. "These creatures sicken me," he said.

"They look like some mad scientist's rag dolls," Silver said. "All those mismatched parts."

"Indeed."

Silver shuddered.

"This is creepy," Shadic said.

"It was done by a demon, but..."

"But what?"

"It's more disturbing than I expected."

"I agree," Silver said. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Press on and find the answer," Shadow said. "Something's bound to help if we look hard enough."

"All right."

The farther they went into the park, the more monsters they saw.

"How many of these things did Sonic summon?" Shadic asked, looking at them.

"Probably filled the place with them."

"Damn."

"We'll be okay."

They kept walking. Suddenly a creature appeared and roared. Shadic jumped and looked at the monster. The others looked as well before starting to run. The creature roared again and followed them.

"I think we should try to do something," Silver said.

"Like what?" Shadow asked.

"Anything." Silver activated his powers, pulling a wall into the path behind them. The creature slammed into it. "I don't know how long that's going to hold."

Shadic smiled and gave a thumbs up, and they ran off.


	5. Tunnel Of Love

Chapter 5: Tunnel Of Love

Soon, they came to the Tunnel Of Love. Shadow looked up at it.

"This doesn't look good," he said.

"What?" Silver asked.

"It's all...twisted and freaky looking." Shadow shuddered. "I'd hate to see what the animatronics look like now."

"Should we...go in?"

"Might as well check it out."

They walked in and going on the ride as it started. The music started up; a jumbled eerie mess of what used to be considered romantic. Dim lights switched on throughout the tunnel as the ride slowly moved down the track. The riders looked around curiously. This already looked different. Sparks could be seen on the edges of the tunnel as the rest of the ride tried to move. Instead, everything was slow and almost dead.

"What the hell did he do?" Shadow asked.

"What demons do best - corrupt everything."

"That's true."

Silver sighed. There was something unsettling about the ride- something deeper than what was obvious. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was. Suddenly, something happened. The ride came to a stop,and the lights turned off. There was total darkness. They could hear something moving after a few moments. A screech sounded, causing everyone to huddle together.

"What do you think it is?" Silver asked.

"I...I don't know," Shadic said.

Suddenly, the screech came again and two red eyes gleamed in the darkness. They moved closer to the group as they tried to back away. Shadic screamed in pain when something bit him. He looked down at his arm and saw blood.

"Something just bit me!" He yelled. Everyone whirled around to see a large wound on Shadic's arm. He hissed in pain as it bled. "This sucks," he muttered.

Another screech was heard next to him. Shadic froze and turned to the side. An anamatronic was starting at him with red eyes. Shadic screamed, and fell off the boat.

"Shadic!" Shadow turned and jumped off after him.

Shadic landed in the water, sinking under. He couldn't breathe. Shadow grabbed him and pulled him up, checking to see how hurt he was.

The blue hedgehog coughed, shaking and shivering. Then he started to sob. "I want to go home," he cried. "I hate it here. This is the worst birthday ever."

"I know. But there's nothing we can do about it right now."

"I want to go home, god damn it! Now!" Shadic yelled.

"I already told you we can't leave!" Shadow yelled. Flinging a Chaos Spear between the glowing red orbs of another attacker, he looked at Shadic with a stern expression.

"Why not? Can't we use Chaos Control?"

"So you want to just abandon Sonic here? We don't even know what happened or if we're in the same place."

"That's not Sonic!" Shadic shouted, still crying. "It's a demon who wants to harm us!"

Shadow frowned. Was Shadic scared? "I know you're scared;" Shadow pulled Shadic into a hug, "most people would be in your position. But there isn't anything we can do. There's too much we don't know."

"I want to go home," Shadic repeated. "I want my dad back!"

"We'll get both of those. We have to get through this first." The blue hedgehog whimpered, but nodded. Shadow smiled and rubbed his back. "I'm still here for you. There's nothing to worry about." After a while, Shadic calmed down. "Let's get out of here before any more come over."

Shadic smiled and nodded. Shadow looked toward the others. "How's everyone holding up?"

"We're good," Silver said. "A little shaken up, but good."

"No one else is hurt?"

"We're fine."

Shadow and Shadic returned to the others and the group quickly made their way out of the tunnel.

"What now?" Tails asked.

"Now..." Shadow paused. "I'm not sure."

He looked around at the rest of the park.

"How long does Sonic want us to stay here?" Silver asked.

"I don't know. He might not even be in control right now."

The demon appeared in front of them. "I am in control," he said. "And I want you to stay here as long as I want you to."

"Just how long is that?" Silver asked.

Sonic sneered. "Like I said: as long as I want."

Silver sighed. "What do you want from us?"

"I want to observe you...and bind you to me."

"What?"

The demon sneered. "Your souls shall belong to me. The longer you stay here, the faster you shall become my property."

"How do we leave?" Shadow asked.

"You can't."

"There has to be some way out. Why bother with a time limit otherwise?"

Sonic looked at them and chuckled. "There is a way...but I'm not going to tell you. Besides, even if I did, you wouldn't make it."

"That isn't fair then, is it. What's the point if you don't give us a chance?"

The demon thought about it. "You may have a point there. It would certainly be more entertaining to watch you crumble from your own lack of ability..." The demon smirked. "Very well. I'll leave hints pointing to the way out as you progress. You have twenty hours at the most. I suggest you get a move on."

The demon vanished without another word.


	6. Another Ride

Chapter 6: Another Ride

Shadow looked at the others. "Let's go."

"I don't like this," Silver said. "He was too sure of himself. What if he makes it impossible anyway?"

"Then I don't know what we'll do."

"We'll just have to trust him to follow his word," Tails said.

"I guess," Shadic said.

"We'll be fine," Shadow said. "Now let's get moving."

He walked off as the others followed, looking around for clues.

"What do you think the clues will be like?" Knuckles asked.

"Not sure," Shadow said. "He didn't say."

"Hopefully something we'll be able to figure out," Tails muttered.

"I hope so," Knuckles said.

"We'll do fine," Shadow said.

Knuckles sighed, and they continued on. Eventually, they came to a roller coaster.

"This looks creepy," Shadic said. "Like there's someone just waiting to kill us on it."

"Is this the same roller coaster that you went on?" Shadow asked his son.

"I think so."

"Should we ride it again?" Silver asked.

"No!" Shadic yelled. "I mean, why would you want to when it looks like this?"

Shadow sighed, and Silver hesitated. Finally, he nodded. "You have a point."

"You guys can check it out if you want..."

Silver looked at Shadow. "You want to?"

"There might be something on it, so why not."

The white hedgehog followed Shadow and they got on the ride. Careful not to fall off, they followed the tracks for the ride as they looked around. A laugh sounded as a man with a chainsaw appeared before them, swinging it at the two people. Silver fell back away from him as Shadow ducked and summoned a Chaos Spear.

"What the hell?" He yelled.

"Where did he come from?" Silver asked. Looking around, he activated his powers and threw the nearest object straight at the maniac.

"Don't know," Shadow said.

"Let's get away while he's down." Silver got up and started away.

Shadow did the same, and they exited the ride. Shadic ran up to them. "What happened?"

"Some lunatic with a chainsaw came out of nowhere and attacked us," Shadow explained.

"Did you get hurt?"

"I didn't." Shadow looked at Silver. "What about you?"

Silver shook his head.

"That's good," Shadic said with a smile. He walked over to the coaster and examined it. "I told you there was probably something waiting to kill you, didn't I?"

Silver and Shadow both frowned.

"We won't get anywhere without doing a little exploring," Shadow said.

Shadic sweat-dropped. "Sorry...what should we do next?"

"Take a look around the rest of the grounds. There has to be something nearby telling us how to get out."

Shadic sighed and walked off; he didn't want to be here, and wanted to leave. There had to be clues around somewhere. A few minutes later, he saw something on the side of the coaster.

"Are there usually metal plates with words etched into it screwed to the side of roller coasters?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. Of course that wasn't normal... especially considering the worrying red staining the edges. Shadow and Silver walked up to Shadic and examined it, then shook their heads.

"Must have been left here by the demon," Silver said.

"Maybe it's the clue?" Shadic suggested. "Doesn't make any sense though."

Shadow looked at it and shook his head. "I can't understand it. It's written in some other language."

They stared at it for a few more moments before turning and walking away.

"Some clue," Knuckles said. "What good is it if we can't understand it."

"Maybe it's just something to confuse us?"

"Most likely."

"I guess we should just move on then."

Knuckles nodded, and they walked on. Eventually they came to another ride.

"Should we bother checking it out?" Silver asked.

"Dunno," Shadic said. "Do you want to?"

Silver shrugged. "Never know where something helpful might be."

"All right. Let's go."

They went toward the ride, getting onto it with minor hesitation. They didn't want a repeat of last time; especially if they didn't move in time. When the ride started, however, everything changed.


	7. Lab Rats

Chapter 7: Lab Rats

At first it was normal, rising up as soon as they had gotten on it. The fact that it was moving in the first place was a surprise that the group decided to ignore for now. It stopped once they got to the top. Shadic was expecting it to drop, but it didn't. Instead, there was a loud ding and the back wall slid open. Beyond was a large hall, glistening white in the lights hanging from the ceiling. The group cautiously stepped into the hall and looked around.

"Where are we?" Knuckles asked.

"This is probably that demon's doing," Shadow said.

"Great. Another spooky place. What are we going to run into here?"

"By the look of things, I'd say a doctor."

"An evil doctor, no doubt," Shadic said.

Shadow laughed for a moment. "I guess it could be worse."

Shadic smiled, but then heard a voice. "So, more rats have found their way to my lab." Shadow and the others looked around, but no one was there. "I do hope you enjoy what I have set up for you."

The voice stopped.

"What does he mean by that?" Shadic asked.

"If movies are anything to go by, nothing good."

A few minutes later they came to a large room. The group looked around. Blood and bodies were everywhere, causing Shadic to gag.

"This looks right out of a movie," Shadow said.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Shadic said, and ran out of the room. The others could hear him vomiting.

"I'll see if he's going to be okay." Tails ran after Shadic.

He found the hedgehog leaning his hand against a wall, his vomit on the floor. Tails walked up to him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Hey," the fox said. "You okay?"

"I'll be okay in a minute," Shadic said.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I was shocked too."

"Honestly, I should have anticipated something like that." Shadic groaned and kept his forehead against the wall.

"Hey, it's okay. Everyone chokes once in a while," Tails said.

"I know."

"Let's go. You won't get sick any more, will you?"

Shadic shrugged. "I'll try not to."

"Good enough for me."

They walked back to the room, and Shadow looked at his son.

"You okay, Shadic?"

"I think so."

"All right. Let's continue."

They moved farther into the room and Shadic pressed a hand to his mouth. "I can't take this," he said, feeling vomit rise in his throat. "You go on without me. I'll stay outside." The door slammed before he could leave, refusing to budge no matter how hard Shadic tried. "Oh, come on!" Shadic yelled.

"It appears that we have no choice but to continue," Shadow said.

"Damn it!"

"You'll be all right."

"I won't be all right!" Shadic yelled, motioning to the gruesome scenes. "I can't stand this kind of stuff!"

"You'll do fine if you stop yelling about it and get over here. We can and will help you through this."

Shadic sighed and walked over to his father. "Sorry."

"It's all right." Shadow pulled him forward into a hug. "Just try to remember that we're here for you. You're not alone in here."

They continued on, each room more gruesome than the last. Many times, Shadic got sick and vomited, but his friends were there for him.

"I hope there's an end to this soon," Silver said. "I'm not sure how much more of it I can take."

A voice spoke up. "How are you liking my home?"

"It's...gory," Shadic said. "Where are you?"

A laugh sounded over the speakers and doors opened in front of them. "Keep going and you might find me."

Everyone hesitated and stepped into the next room. There wasn't much of anything different there. The lack of gore was nice, as was the lack of anything overly creepy. It looked like the room you would expect in a scientist's lab. Shadow walked around looking at everything before stopping in front of the containment tanks on the far wall. Looking in the water, he started shaking. His heart was racing, pounding loud in his ears as he was rooted to the spot.

"What is it, dad?" Shadic asked.

"I'm fine," Shadow said. "There's no reason for me to..." He shut up, stepping away from the tank as he breathed. Calming down was the best course of action. He wasn't in any danger, he knew that. "Let's keep going," Shadow said.

"Are you sure? You looked..." Shadic trailed off. "Okay." Shadow shook his head, and they walked into the next room. Shadic noticed a change in his father; the black hedgehog suddenly seemed distant. "Dad..." Shadic bit his lip slightly. He'd never seen Shadow like this before. "Did you see something in that tank?"

Shadow ignored him.

"He might be thinking," Silver said. "Maybe it reminded him of something?"

"Probably," Shadic told him.

The two looked back at Shadow, wondering what was wrong. Shadow pulled open one of the doors in the room and looked in before turning away in disgust. "Clearly someone here's been playing God."

"What do you mean, dad?" Shadic asked as he looked in. What he saw disgusted him.

"This could be where all those monsters are coming from."

Shadow walked into the room, moving the arm of the dead creature on the table.

"This is just sick," Shadic said, struggling to hold back vomit.

"This is a scientist," Shadow said. "One who chose to focus on organic beings rather than robotic ones."

Shadic was about to say something when something grabbed him. He yelled as he was dragged away. A laugh sounded over the speakers.

"I have your friend," the voice of the doctor said. "If you want him alive, you'll have to find me. But I must warn you...we won't be the same after experimentation! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Shadow growled, ears flattening as he slammed his hand against the door that had closed before he could follow them. Turning back to the others, he motioned.

"Can you figure any of this out, Tails?"

"I...I don't know, Shadow," Tails said, looking at the hedgehog. He examined the dead creature. "It seems that the doctor has taken subjects and mutated them into terrifying creatures like the ones we've seen."

"I mean where he is. You're better at computers than the rest of us- see if one of them can tell you anything useful."

Tails understood and walked over to a computer, turning it on. A few minutes later, he had found the doctor's location.

"If this is correct, he's going to be two floors above us in a room at the far end of the hall." Tails looked over at Shadow. "Under the assumption that he's going to his office. If not... there are too many rooms to check together."

"Well then, let's head up to his office," Knuckles said.

They left the room, keeping themselves on edge in case anything happened. Couldn't be too careful in a place like this.

The doctor smiled wickedly as he strapped Shadic on a table in his lab. He chuckled and injected the blue hedgehog with a serum.

"I've just injected you with a transformation serum," he told Shadic. "You'll be one of my creations soon."

He walked off and Shadic began to scream in pain.


	8. The Monster

Chapter 8: The Monster

Tears gathered in Shadic's eyes and slid down to the table as searing pain raced through his body. His entire body was trembling under the sensations, arms and legs jerking against the restraints.

"Help!" He yelled. "Somebody help me!"

His body jerked in pain, and he could feel parts of his body changing. The energy in the air around him rushed into his body as it shifted and writhed on the table, unable to remain in a single form for long. The doctor walked in and frowned; the serum wasn't working. Shadic turned his head to look at him, panting as his body calmed down and the air cooled. His limbs still twitched slightly and he looked as though he was about to pass out.

A few minutes later, he did just that. The doctor walked out of the lab; he would have to find someone else...one of Shadic's friends would do. A thought came to him as he remembered seeing a white hedgehog in the group.

"That one would make a lovely creature."

He grinned and walked out of the lab.

On the floor below, Shadow was getting frustrated with the way things were set up.

"Damn it...where the hell's my son?" He yelled at no one in particular.

Throwing open the next door, Shadow growled. This wasn't anything like the map he'd seen earlier. There shouldn't have been thus mant halls and rooms. He ran off, throwing open doors as he passed. Nothing. Eventually, he came to two large doors and swung them open. His eyes widened when he saw Shadic strapped to a table, whimpering in pain.

Rushing over to him, Shadow quickly opened the restraints and pulled Shadic into his arms. Shadic cried into his father's chest.

"He was going to experiment on me..." Shadic said. "It hurt so much."

"You're okay. I'm here now, and I won't let anyone experiment on you." Shadow rubbed his back, running his fingers through his fur.

Shadic shuddered. Suddenly, a scream was heard and he looked up to see the doctor holding Silver, a syringe in his hand. The mad scientist grinned. "This time, it will work."

The scientist stabbed the syringe into Silver, injecting the liquid before dropping the hedgehog and leaving. Silver began to convulse and scream. Shadow and Shadic's eyes widened as they saw him change.

"What's he..." Shadic ran over to Silver. "Silver, can you hear me?"

The white hedgehog groaned and transformed into a giant monster. It looked at Shadow and Shadic, then roared. Shadic stared up at him, eyes wide as he started shaking.

"We need to move!" Shadow grabbed him and ran from the monster, throwing open the door and going into the hall.

"But...Silver..." Shadic said.

"We can think of something for that later."

The monster roared again as it started to follow them. Shadic started shaking as tears ran down his face. What had that scientist done to his boyfriend? Looking behind them, he had barely gotten a glimpse of the monster before Shadow turned him.

"I know it's hard, but don't dwell on it yet. It'll just get you killed."

Shadic gulped, then nodded hesitantly as he sped off with his father. The monster that used to be Silver was quickly left behind, being much too slow to keep up with either of them. Regardless, Shadow didn't stop until they were on the floor above and in one of the empty offices.

"We need to get out of here," Shadow said, looking around. "Where the hell are Tails and Knuckles?"

"M... Maybe they're..." Shadic took a breath and swallowed hard. The tears were still running down his cheeks and he was having a hard time catching his breath. "Out of the building?"

"Hopefully they are."

Shadic looked at Shadow and gave him a hesitant smile. "What should we do now?" He asked his father.

"Find a way out of this building."

Shadic nodded, and they ran off. Half an hour later, they had found a way out. The others were waiting for them, but frowned when they didn't see Silver.

"Where's Silver?" Tails asked.

"He's..." Shadic began. A roar sounded as the monster that used to be Silver burst out of the building. "There! Run!"

Everyone yelled in in shock and ran. They jumped onto the ground as Shadic looked behind him. The monster roared and opened its mouth, a jet of fire streaming from it.

"Why the hell can he- Oh come on!" Shadic shouted. He looked ahead of himself again, searching for anything that might provide cover from the monster.

"What the hell is that thing?" Knuckles asked.

"We'll explain later!" Shadow shouted. "Just focus on getting away from it!"

Knuckles nodded, and they ran off.


	9. Splitting Up

Chapter 9: Splitting Up

It took a while to get away from the monster. When they finally did, they looked around at the room. The one they were in wasn't big, with just one door leading farther away from Silver. It also lead farther into the building.

"Okay, I want answers," Knuckles said. "What was that thing? Why was it chasing us? And most importantly, where the hell is Silver?"

"That monster is Silver. He was injected with something that forcibly altered his body into what you saw."

"Is there a way to change him back?"

Shadic shrugged. Hopefully, there was. He didn't want to give up hope. "I'm sure there's a way somewhere," he said. "Just in case something had gone wrong... Scientists always have backup plans for that, don't they?"

"They do," Shadow said, putting a hand on Shadic's shoulder.

"So all we need to do is find it."

Shadow nodded. "Will we have time to do that and find our way out of here?" Tails asked.

Hopefully," Shadow said.

Tails sighed and looked around. "No point staying around here then."

"We should continue looking for clues," Knuckles said.

Tails nodded. "The building we're in looked promising from the outside."

"Should we look around here, then?"

"I think so. But be careful." Tails put a hand on Knuckles' arm. "You should come with me."

"What about us?" Shadow asked, motioning to his son.

"We'll find things faster if we split up and look," Tails said. "You two work out how you're going to do it."

"Alright," Shadow said. "I'll do with Shadic."

Tails nodded; then he'd go with Knuckles.

"It might be better if we just split up," Shadic told Shadow. "I can take care of myself if anything happens, and we're sure to find things much faster."

"All right," Shadic said.

Shadic smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll go this way."

Shadow smiled back and walked in the other direction. Shadic watched his father leave and ran off. In truth, he was a little nervous about being on his own. Hesitantly, he looked around, wondering where to go. Everything looked so creepy.

"This way looks okay," Shadic muttered. He walked down the hall to his left.

Along the way, he looked around. At least nothing was attacking him. Things started looking less creepy the farther he walked. It set him on edge more than before; that couldn't be a good sign. He sighed and slumped against a wall, thinking about Silver. He didn't like seeing his boyfriend as a terrible monster, and hoped there was some way to turn him back to normal. They had only just gotten together. It wasn't fair.

Shadic yawned and got back up. He started to head down the hallway but heard a noise. Stopping and slowly turning, Shadic sighed in irritation. It was just a mouse. The mouse scurried away. Shadic groaned. He was getting paranoid. It was better to be on guard, but jumping at every little thing was going to get tiresome fast. Checking the surroundings again, Shadic shook his head. He walked on, wondering where to go. Wandering aimlessly was never a good idea- late night horror movies had taught him that much. But in a place he didn't know, there wasn't much else to do.

"What am I looking for?" He asked himself, looking around.

"Something that might tells us how to leave..." Shadic muttered as he walked, keeping a lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

The demon had said there'd be clues. All Shadic had to do was be on the lookout for them. Not that he had any idea what a demon would consider a clue. For all he knew, it could be a dead body. Or some sign in a language he couldn't even read. Demons were said to find loopholes like that and take advantage of them...

Shadic stopped and looked at the door in front of him curiously. There was light around the edges. He had thought the electricity was out. Looking around for a few moments, he sighed and tried the handle. The door creaked open and he hesitantly followed it in. He entered a large room and looked around, wondering where he was.

The overhead lights were on, but there was nothing to be seen in the room. Even the furniture was missing. Shadic thought this was weird. He looked around and saw something out of the corner of his eye Walking closer, he noticed a hole in one of the walls. Looking in didn't show him anything; it was too dark to see. A frown came to his face and he looked in again, changing one of his eyes to a cat's eye so that he could see better.

Still, he could barely see anything. There was something he thought might be an object, but there was only one way to find out. Cautiously, Shadic reached into the hole.

"I can't believe I'm doing something so stupid," he muttered. His hand soon closed around a small object and he pulled it out, looking to see it was an old key.

Shadic looked at it curiously, wondering what a key was doing inside a hole. Could it be a clue? Still, if it was a key that it had to go to a door. It was something, in any case. He'd just have to try it in anything that looked old enough. Shadic took another look around the room and sighed. There wasn't anything else to examine there. He walked out of the room, holding the key in his hand. It had to fit somewhere. Shadic came to another room and saw that it was filled with old antiques.

"What kind of place is this?" Shadic looked around, lightly running his hand over a few of the objects. "First an empty room, and now antiques. I thought this was an amusement park."

He looked at the key in his hand and back at the antiques.

"I don't see anything that would have a keyhole," he muttered.

He scanned the room and saw,a door hidden in the wall. Shadic walked over to the door, sighing when he looked at the dresser blocking the lower half. He set the key down and started pushing the old dresser to the side, finally moving it far enough a few minutes later. He took the key and tried to see if it fit the keyhole. For a few seconds, he thought it might've fit. When it refused to go in, he sighed and pressed his forehead against the old wood.

"What good is a key that doesn't go in a door?" He asked himself, banding on it. Shadic hissed when he cut himself on the wood.

Pulling out the splinter, he sighed again. There were other doors in the building. No doubt about that. But checking every one of them meant running through the building. By himself. Where anything could jump out at any time.

He wasn't looking forward to that. After a few minutes longer of standing there, he turned and left the room. Shadic checked the doors in the next room, frustrated that the key didn't fit.

Shadic thought about the key as he walked down the halls of the building. It was obviously meant to help. But he had no ideas where the door for such an old-fashioned key might be. Suddenly he sensed something and looked around. As far as he could see, there wasn't anything around. Not anything dangerous, anyway. Shadic narrowed his eyes and saw a door up ahead.

"Something behind that door's giving off enough energy for me to pick up on..." He looked behind himself. "Maybe I should get dad. It'd be stupid to go by myself."

He ran off to find his father. After nearly an hour of searching, he found Shadow looking into a desk in one of the offices.

"Dad," Shadic said. "I found something."

"What kind of something?"

Shadic held up the key. "I also found a door that was brimming with energy."

"And you didn't want to go in by yourself." Shadow looked at him with a small smile. "Good call."

"Come on; let's go."

He ran off. Shadow smirked and shook his head, then ran after his son. It took much less time to get back to the door. They both looked at it, Shadow frowning as he felt the energy.

"That's a lot of energy," he said.

Shadic nodded and put the key in the keyhole, surprised that it fit "Looks like I was right." He turned the key and pushed open the door after hearing the soft click of the lock.


	10. Traps

Chapter 10: Traps

A portal opened and sucked them in. They landed in a pitch black area and looked around.

"Great," Shadic said. "Where the hell are we now?"

"You've fallen into my trap," a voice said.

The demon appeared and looked at them.

"Trap?" Shadic shouted.

"Of course. You thought I wouldn't have traps here?"

"What kind of trap is this one?"

Sonic chuckled and snapped his fingers. The lights came on and spikes came out of the walls as they moved closer to the two. "I'd like to see you try to get out of this one," he said. "Have fun."

He vanished.

"How the hell are we supposed to get out of this?" Shadic yelled. "I mean, I could change, but you can't."

"Calm down and look around," Shadow said. "He's playing with us, which means there has to be a way in this room to stop the walls."

Shadic looked around; he didn't see any. Suddenly fire rained down from the ceiling.

Shadow frowned. "Not cool, Sonic."

"How are we supposed to find anything with fire raining down on our heads?"

"I have no idea."

Shadic whimpered and looked around as he tried to avoid the fire. He eventually saw something on the wall. Running over, Shadic moved part of the wall and pushed the button he found embedded in the stone there. The fire and walls stopped. Shadic sighed in relief.

"Now we just need to climb out of here," Shadow said. "If we can."

"Can we teleport?" Shadic asked.

"Possibly." Shadow looked up. "I don't see why this would be too deep for that."

Suddenly a door opened in the wall. Both of them stared at it in suspicion.

"Should we go through it?" Shadic asked.

"Isn't really anywhere else to go." Shadow sighed in irritation. "Just be careful."

The two walked through the door and it closed behind them.

"Okay, that's creepy," Shadic said. "Do you think we're being led somewhere?"

"Most likely," Shadow said.

"I hope it's nothing too bad."

Suddenly a roar sounded from behind them. The two froze and looked behind them to see the monster that used to be Silver.

"Oh come on," Shadow said.

The two started to run. The monster followed them down the hall. Another door opened as Shadow and Shadic ran through it. "I really hope we aren't running to our deaths," Shadic said.

"Let's hope not," Shadow told him.

They looked behind them, wondering if the monster was still following or not. They didn't see it, but didn't want to stick around to find out either.

"Does Silver know what he's doing, dad?" Shadic asked as they walked down the hall.

"I doubt it."

Shadic frowned. They came to a door and opened it, then walked into the next room and looked around. It was big. Boarded windows on the other side of the room gave little light, and all the furniture was covered in a layer of dust.

"Where the hell are we now?" Shadow asked as they walked around the room.

"I have no idea..."

Shadow grumbled and sat down on a chair. Suddenly, clamps fastened on Shadow's arms and legs, and a helmet clamped onto his head. Electricity shocked him, and he screamed in pain.

"Dad!" Shadic ran forward in alarm, grabbing the restraint on one of Shadow's arms to try and get it off.

Shadow screamed as the electricity shocked him, and soon fell unconscious. Shadic tried desperately to get the restraints off. The helmet was the first thing he got off, gritting his teeth against the electricity and managing to shove it off Shadow's head. Ignoring the burns on his hands and the damage on Shadow's head, he started tugging at the restraints on his father's arms.

Eventually, he got those off. Shadow fell to the floor, his body smoking. Shadic looked at his unconscious father and saw burns on his body. He put a finger to his neck, hoping to feel a pulse. It was slow, but there. Shadic sighed in relief and picked him up. There was no way he could just leave him lying on the floor like that. He slung his father over his shoulder and looked around, wondering if there was a way to leave this room.

The door they had come through refused to open when he tried, and he sighed. He then saw something on the wall and ran over to it. A button was there, so he pressed it and heard something. A section of one of the walls slid away and Shadic cautiously walked over to the new opening. He looked around, but saw nothing. With nowhere else to go, he walked in, carrying his father. Beyond the door wasn't anything threatening. Shadic sighed in relief and ran down the hallway.

At the end was another door that he pushed open, finding himself momentarily blinded by the bright light of the sun. A metal fire escape was under him, and he sighed. This was going to be a pain. He looked down and took a step forward, then jumped down onto the fire escape and climbed down. On the lowest platform, he set Shadow down and looked him over. Shadic sat next to Shadow and waited for him to wake up.

Ten minutes later, Shadic heard a groan and looked to see his father stirring. He smiled as Shadow sat up.

"You're awake," Shadic said. "I'm glad."

"What happened?"

"You sat in a chair and it electrocuted you, dad. There are burns all over your body."

"That explains why I was out for so long." Shadow stood. "I'm fine now." He stretched and winced, looking at himself. Some of the burns were still there. "Those must have been pretty nasty." Shadow lightly touched one and grimaced.

"I'm glad you're okay," Shadic said.

Shadow grinned at him. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Cocky as ever, I see."

"I wouldn't be me if I wasn't."

Shadic chuckled. "That's what I like about you, dad."

Shadow smiled. "We should get moving."

"Where should we go?

"Don't know. Wherever looks helpful."

"I'll take a look at the maps, then."

"If they'll even help here."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Shadic asked.

"Just find a map and we'll see how helpful it is."

Shadic nodded and they ran off to find a map.


	11. Finding A Clue

Chapter 11: Finding A Clue

They found a map half an hour later in one of the other buildings.

"Here we are," Shadow said. "Now...where should we go?"

Shadic looked at the map with a frown. "Maybe..."

He pointed to a place on the map.

"Looks good." Shadow gave him a pat on the back.

Shadic smiled. "Let's go."

They ran off in the direction Shadic had pointed to. When they got there, they looked around.

"Now what?" Shadow asked.

"Look around I guess."

"All right. Let's take a look."

They looked around the area.

"Any clues in here?" Shadic asked Shadow.

"None yet."

Shadic sighed. "What good are they if we can't find any?"

"It's supposed to be difficult. They can't just get handed to us."

"I know...but we haven't found any."

"We'll find something soon."

"I hope so," Shadic said. "I don't want to be stuck here."

"We won't be stuck here."

"You think so?"

Shadow nodded. "There's a way out."

"Good. Where is it?" Shadic asked.

"I don't know. We have to find it first."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find it."

"What do you suppose it would look like?"

"Dunno," Shadic said. "We don't even know how many there are."

Shadow sighed. "This is a pain."

"It is. If only Sonic would give us a hint..."

"Hopefully we'll know it when we see it."

Shadic nodded, and they continued on. After a while they found themselves in another large empty room. "Where are we?" Shadic asked.

"I'm not sure."

Shadic sighed and looked around the room. "I don't see anything helpful in here either," Shadic said. A glow came from the other end of the room. "That wasn't there a few moments ago."

Both of them cautiously walked toward it. They reached the end and the glow stopped, revealing part of a map. Shadic picked it up. "Looks like part of a map..."

"A map?" Shadow asked. "Interesting..."

"Maybe it'll show us the way out."

Shadic nodded. "Most likely."

"Hopefully it won't take too long."

"We should tell Knuckles and Tails."

"Let's go look for them."

Shadic nodded and followed his father. For the next hour, the two ran into little more than monsters. They eventually reached Knuckles and Tails.

"There you are!" Shadic ran over once he saw them.

"Hey," Knuckles said. "Where have you two been?"

"Around."

"What happened to you?" Knuckles asked Shadow. "There are burns all over your body."

"An electric chair happened," Shadow said. "I'm fine now."

He smiled and looked at Knuckles. Shadic held up the piece of parchment. "We found a clue."

"Looks like part of a map."

"Most likely it is. We need to find the others."

"Did we see anything like that?" Knuckles asked Tails.

Tails nodded and brought out a piece of paper. "I think this might be one."

"How many more do we need?" Shadow asked.

"Won't know until we find more."

Knuckles was about to speak when Sonic appeared. The demon looked at them and grinned.

"What do you want?" Knuckles asked it.

"Just checking in," the demon said.

"Why?"

"A demon can't check in on his playmates?"

"How many more of these map pieces do we have to find?" Shadow asked.

"A few."

"Where are they?"

"Why would I simply tell you?"

Shadow frowned. "How much longer do we have here?"

"Plenty of time."

The demon vanished, and Shadow looked at the others. "We need to find the other two parts of the map."

"Who says there's only two?" Knuckles asked.

"The demon," Shadow told the echidna.

"I didn't hear him say anything about two." Knuckles crossed his arms. "That would be nice though."

"What do you think we should do, Tails?"

The fox smiled. "Look for the rest of the pieces, of course. We'll never get out if we don't."

"I agree," Shadic said.

"Any ideas where to start looking?"

"In different buildings, maybe?"

"Let's spilt up then. Be careful."

"I'll go with dad," Shadic said.

"We'll go this way," Knuckles said.

He and Tails left. Shadow looked at his son. "Where should we look first?"

Shadic shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe on one of the rides."

"The Ferris Wheel?" Shadow looked over in its direction. "The top is where I would hide a hint to the way out."

"Let's head there, then."

The two stared walking over to the Ferris Wheel.

Shadic looked at the burns on his father's body. "Do they hurt?"

"Not really."

"Alright. I'm just concerned."

Shadow looked at his son. "Concerned? About what?"

"You."

"I'm fine, son."

"I can't help it." Shadic looked down. "I already lost one of my fathers... I just don't want anything to happen to you too."

Tears started to fall down his face. He looked up at his father, and hugged him.

"You're not going to lose me." Shadow placed a hand on Shadic's back. "I can't be killed that easily."

"I know," Shadic said. "But you can still die...I don't want to lose you like I lost Silver or dad."

"You won't." Shadow placed a kiss on the top of Shadic's head. "You know how many people have tried that kind of crap on me?"

The teen hedgehog nodded and looked at his father, smiling. Shadow wiped Shadic's tears away and took his son's hand.


	12. The Map

Chapter 12: The Map

Shadow ran off towards the Ferris Wheel and his son followed him. When they got there, they got on and the ride started. "Watch out for anything that might be part of the map," Shadow said. "Unless we're going about this the wrong way, we should find something."

Shadic nodded and kept his eyes peeled. When they got to the top, he saw something. "There's something on that rooftop."

Shadow looked, and saw it also. He nodded. "Let's get to it, then."

"This is going to take forever, isn't it?"

"We could teleport there, if you want."

"You sure?"

Shadow nodded and brought out his Chaos Emerald. "I know which roof it is."

The emerald glowed and he and Shadic vanished in a flash of light. They reappeared on the roof and looked around. Shadic walked over to the glow.

"Yep, it's a piece of the map." Shadic picked it up and held it out for Shadow to see.

Shadow took it and nodded. "Great," he said.

"You think Knuckles and Tails had any luck?"

"They might have."

"Should we meet up with them?"

"Sure," Shadow said, smiling at his son.

Shadic looked around the rooftop for the way off. He saw a ladder leading to the ground and looked down. His eyes widened and he shuddered.

"That's a long way down," he said.

"You'll be fine." Shadow pat Shadic on the back. "I can go first if you want."

"You go ahead, dad. I don't really like heights that much."

"Sure it isn't the ladder?" Shadow walked over and started climbing down.

Shadic shrugged and climbed down after his father. When they reached the ground, Shadic sighed.

"Glad that's over. And I didn't fall off."

Shadow chuckled. "Come on; let's go find the others."

Shadic nodded and they ran off. When they found Tails and Knuckles, they held up the map piece.

"We found one, too." Tails held it up with a smile.

They put the pieces together, and saw that they fit. A glow came from the parchment and the map was complete.

"Okay. So, turn it this way..."

Shadow turned the map until it was properly angled in front of Tails. The fox looked it over, reading all the scribbles along the edges and running his finger over various paths before finally looking at Shadow.

"The map gives the location of the exit," Tails said. "It's near the front of the park."

"Near the front? He's had us running in circles."

"That's what it says."

Shadow sighed and ran off, followed by the others. They soon came to the front of the park minutes later, and saw the exit. Suddenly, a roar sounded and the monster that used to be Silver appeared in front of them. The demon was beside him.

"If you want to leave, you're going to have to defeat him," Sonic said, motioning to the monster.

"You never said anything about that," Shadow growled.

"Just think of this as a boss fight." He looked at the monster. "Attack," he said, and vanished.


	13. Fighting To Escape

Chapter 13: Fighting To Escape

Shadic looked at Shadow in panic and backed away.

"I don't know if I can fight it."

"Is it because it's Silver?" Shadow asked.

"Of course!"

"It's not Silver anymore, Shadic," Knuckles said. "It's just a mindless beast."

The monster roared and ran towards them.

"I watched him change into it! You think I don't know that?" Shadic yelled.

Running around to get out of its way, Shadic watched as Shadow charged a few Chaos Spears and hurled them at the creature. The creature roared and breathed fire at them, swiping at the group with its sharp claws. Knuckles yelled in pain as it scratched him across the chest. Shadic yelled to Knuckles and looked back at the creature. It wasn't Silver- he knew that- but at the same time... He had watched Silver morph into it. What if he was still in there somewhere? Shadic shook his head; he couldn't fight it. Just like how he wouldn't be able to fight the demon that was Sonic. Or if something happened to Shadow.

The creature growled and turned its attention to Shadic. Fear gripped Shadic for a moment as he watched the creature turn toward him. Looking back at Knuckles, he ran forward to help the echidna get some distance between himself and the creature. It roared and breathed fire at them. Shadic lifted Knuckles into his arms and ran out of the path of the fire, circling over to Shadow.

"What should we do?" He asked his father.

"We don't have much choice but to fight it," Shadow said.

"I don't want to fight it! It's Silver!"

"Do what you can." Shadow glanced at Shadic. "I won't force you to fight."

Shadic sighed and nodded. Suddenly, he screamed in pain when fire burned his back. Shadow grabbed him and threw him away from the fire.

"Be careful," he told Shadic. "I don't want you getting killed."

"I know."

Shadow sighed and hugged his son. "I know that you're upset about Silver, but we have to defeat this creature if we're going to leave."

"Then fight it." Shadic pulled out of the hug and looked at the monster.

"All right," Shadow said. He looked at the monster and attacked.

The majority of the Chaos Spears Shadow threw at the monster hit it, piercing through in some places while others just left deep gashes in its body. Shadic stared as his father continued fighting it, turning to help Knuckles and Tails with the injury the echidna had gotten.

"You okay, Knux?" He asked.

"I will be," Knuckles said.

Shadic sighed in relief, then turned towards the monster. It was roaring, and hit Shadow. The black hedgehog was thrown backward to where the others were and landed hard on the pavement. A crack could be heard in his leg and he screamed.

"Dad!" Shadic yelled, and ran towards him. He touched his father's leg, earning a whimper from Shadow. "Your leg's broken."

Shadow tried to get up but failed.

"Damn it," he muttered. "I can't fight it like this."

Shadic looked at his father. "I'll fight it."

Shadow snorted. "Are you sure you're prepared for that?"

"I am. Why?"

"Just wanted to make sure."

Shadic smiled and walked up to the monster, transforming as he did so. Something big should- would- work against the monster Silver had become. Or maybe something small, to avoid taking too much damage and keep maneuverability. Either way, there was no saving the other hedgehog now; Shadic knew that as much as he wanted to deny it. Closing his eyes and taking a breath for a moment was all the hesitation Shadic allowed himself. It was now or never.

Channeling the Chaos Energy in this place hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before, burning through his body and physically straining him. It was darker than what he was used to. Almost with a mind of it's own, twisting and molding with his body's energy before obeying.

Sharp talons formed on his fingertips as the energy changed fur to scales, hands and arms growing larger, more muscular, to fit what he needed. Strength and speed was what he needed here. The pulses of dark energy were of no concern to him as he rushed forward to attack Sil- the monster, dodging to the side to avoid a swing it directed at him. Wings of energy took shape behind him as he tried to think of anything that could be its weak point, jumping into the air to get a better look at the rest of it. Nothing obvious, but everything had a weak point somewhere.

Shadic looked at the beast and attacked it. The first few attacks did nothing but distract the monster from the others. It roared and shot flames from its mouth. Shadic flew out of the fire's path, swooping down close to the monster. He swiped his claws on its face. It roared it pain. Shadic smiled as he heard the creature's roar. At least something had worked. He scanned the creature for a weak point, and saw something on its forehead. A third eye. That was bound to be a weakness of some sort, even if it just partially blinded the creature.

Shadic flew towards it, teeth becoming fangs. He landed on the creature's head and bit down on the third eye. Immediately, he regretted the action. It took care of the eye, but the taste... Shadic spit as he pushed himself up and away from the creature, avoiding the arm it tried to hit him with as the other moved to cover its ruined eye. It roared in pain, blood leaking from its ruined eye. Shadic smirked.

"Do you think you could finish it off?" Shadic yelled down to Shadow. "Your Chaos Spears should be able to pierce its heart."

"You can use those too," Shadow yelled back. "But I guess I could."

Shadic landed a few feet away and looked away as Shadow threw five Chaos Spears at the creature's heart. Despite telling himself otherwise, knowing it wasn't Silver anymore, he couldn't bring himself to actually kill it. The creature roared in pain before falling to the ground, blood pooling from its chest. Its body grew smaller as it morphed back into Silver. Shadic's eyes widened when he looked over.

Silver groaned and coughed up blood. He looked at Shadic.

"Shadic...I...I'm...sorr..."

His breathing stopped. Looking away from Silver's body didn't make Shadic feel any better about what happened. He changed back to himself, then kneeled in front of Silver's body and sobbed.


	14. Back To Normal

Chapter 14: Back To Normal

Shadic looked at Silver's body and started to cry. He looked up at his father.

"Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know, Shadic," Shadow said.

The demon appeared and looked at them. "So you killed him."

"I did," Shadic said. "Will you let us go now?"

"I suppose." The demon snapped his fingers, and everything returned to normal. "I must go now," he said. "Silver's soul will be coming to Hell with me."

"What about Sonic?" Shadow demanded.

"I am Sonic."

"No, you're a demon that took his body from him."

"I already told you, we're one and the same now," the demon said. "Don't worry, I'll come back to visit sometime. See you later."

He vanished in a flash of light with Silver.

"I don't think I want him to visit," Shadow growled.

"Why not?" Shadic asked.

"Because that thing isn't Sonic."

Shadow tried to stand up, but grimaced in pain. Shadic went over to him. "We should get you to the hospital to have that looked at."

"Sure."

Shadic smiled, then picked up his father and rushed to the hospital. Knuckles and Tails followed also. It didn't take long to see a doctor once they got there. Half an hour later, Shadow and Shadic headed home after saying goodbye to Tails and Knuckles. Shadow's leg would take a few weeks to heal and until that time he had to wear a cast and use crutches.

At home, Shadow sat on the couch and stared at his leg. Being unable to use it would suck, especially since he couldn't do his job properly with a broken leg, but he was far more concerned with Sonic's fate.

"What's going to happen to Sonic, dad?" Shadic asked him.

"I don't know." And he hated himself for it.

Shadic sighed. "So my dad's just going to be a demon for the rest of his life?"

"That... Might be the case. Unless there's something we can do to get that demon out of him."

"Somehow I doubt it."

Shadow nodded but didn't say anything. Shadic sighed, thinking about Silver.

"I hope nothing like that ever happens again," Shadic said.

"Same here," Shadow said.

Shadic leaned his head against his father and closed his eyes, hoping that everything would be all right.


End file.
